I rose to my knees and swallowed against the ache in my throat.
They trapped him in the corner of the room. When he tried to push through the wall of small bodies, Isak jumped on his back at the same time Flynn kicked him in the shins. The bulky man tumbled to the floor. Viktor shoved his boot into Kellam’s side. Shannon and Nora leapt on top of his legs and sat on him as though he was a park bench. Theo sprawled over his chest. The Johnson sisters each stood on one beefy forearm. Flynn pressed into his throat with his small hands.
“How do you like it?” Flynn asked.
Kellam struggled, but he was no match for my wild band of students.
Alma, in the meantime, ran to my desk and came back with the rope we’d used in the blizzard. She dropped to her knees and hog-tied Kellam’s hands over his head. When she was done there, she did the same with his feet. I’d never seen a child move as fluidly and quickly. Despite her little body, the girl was as strong as a horse. The days on her father’s farm had taught her a skill I couldn’t.
“Elsa, go to Father,” Martha said. “Tell him to bring the sheriff.”
“And my dad,” Theo said. “He’ll know what to do.”
Elsa, without a word, took off running.
“Miss Quinn,” Josephine said as she knelt next to me. “Are you hurt?”
The tears in her voice broke the spell. I looked up, then sat against the wall and scanned the faces of my students, as if the answers to my dilemma could be found in their frightened eyes. Martha and Josephine knelt next to me. The rest of the students gathered around, flushed from their efforts.
All but Louisa.
She stood in the middle of the room, small and thin in her new coat. Tears spilled from her eyes and made a pattern like a river down her cheeks. “Pa?” she whispered. “What have you done?”
“You. You’ll pay for this, you little brat.” He struggled to raise himself, but the hog-ties were too strong. “You belong to me, not these people.”
The twins each offered a hand and helped me to my feet as Louisa drew closer to her father. “Why were you trying to hurt Miss Cooper?”
“It’s your fault,” he said. “You went against my word.”
Just then, Alexander and the sheriff burst through the front door. For a second, they halted at the sight, clearly shocked to see Kellam on the floor trapped by my small band of students.
Alexander looked at me first, and I nodded to let him know I was fine.
Lancaster took his gun from the holster around his waist. “Looks to me we’ve got ourselves a prisoner.” He and Alexander yanked Kellam to his feet. “Let’s go have a talk down at the jail.”
“Untie his legs,” Lancaster said to Alexander. “He’s going to have to walk.”
Alexander knelt and untied Alma’s knot. The rope hung from his wrists and trailed down his backside like a tail. How appropriate, I thought, for an animal.
As Lancaster dragged him out the door, Kellam growled and glared at his daughter. “You did this to me.”
Louisa sobbed but didn’t say anything. The girls had all gathered around her. Josephine slipped her hand into Louisa’s. “It’s all right,” Josephine said. “We’re all here.”
The other girls held hands and created a protective circle around Louisa. “Don’t watch,” Martha said. “Just look at us. Do you see us?”
“Yes,” Louisa said. “I see you.”
“Always protect one another,” Cymbeline said.
The boys huddled together in the corner of the room, cowed for once. They sank to the floor in a heap of exhaustion after our ordeal.
“Children, you did well,” I said, faintly. “Teamwork was never better demonstrated than this afternoon.”
“What do we do now?” Flynn asked.
“Stay here with Miss Cooper for a few minutes,” Alexander said. “Just until the sheriff can do his work.
“I think going home early might be a good idea,” I said. “Just this once.”
I went into Alexander’s outstretched arms, shaking from the adrenaline. “My brave girl,” he whispered. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. You should have seen this pack of wolves we’re raising. They were fierce.”
“Like their teacher,” he said.
I smiled up at him. “I wasn’t sure I’d have another chance to tell you I love you,” I said as I lifted the tie from my neck.
His cheeks reddened, which told me the bruising had already started. “He could’ve killed you.”
“But he didn’t. It’s over now,” I said.
“Not for Louisa,” he said. “It’ll never be fully over for her.”
It was then we heard a gunshot. For the second time that day, my blood froze.
Chapter 30
Alexander
“Stay here with the children,” I said to Quinn. “I’ll go see what’s happened.”
“Yes, yes. Go. We’ll be here.”
“Lock the door,” I said.
I ran out the door and down the steps in the direction of the gunshot. It had come from the main section of town. Near the jail, if I had my guess. I was right. There, in the middle of the street, was Kellam’s body, facedown in red snow. Lancaster hovered over him. The air smelled of gunpowder. Dr. Moore stumbled out of the saloon with his doctor’s bag in his arms and ran toward them.
“What in bloody hell happened?” I asked Sven Johnson, who stood in front of his shop holding a broom.
“Kellam made a run for it, and the sheriff shot him in the back,” Sven said.
Anna Johnson, wearing her shop apron, came to stand beside me. “Are the children at school?”
“Yes. I left them with Miss Cooper. Go to them, please. Keep them inside until I come back.”
“I’ll just get my coat,” she said.
I turned back to the gruesome scene in front of me. All the shop owners had come out to the street to watch. But I couldn’t. I wanted no more to do with either the sheriff or the man who’d hurt his child and my Quinn.
I walked back toward school, thinking about Louisa. What would happen to her now? Who would take her in? Not me. God knows we had our hands full already. My feet seemed to have an idea of their own, because they led me to the rectory instead of the school. I knocked on the front door, and soon Pamela appeared.
“I heard gunshots,” she said. “I was too afraid to come out. Simon’s gone to visit a sick man.”
“It’s safe now. But let me tell you all about it.”
She ushered me inside and poured me a cup of coffee and put a slice of fruitcake in front of me while I told her everything.
“That poor child,” she said. “Where will she go?”
“I don’t know.”
“You aren’t thinking of taking her in?” she asked.
“I’ve got so many of my own. And Quinn and I are getting married.”
“Oh Alexander? Really?”
“Yes. She’ll want more children. By the end of this, God only knows how many I’ll have.”
Pamela beamed at me. “I’m happy for you.” She stirred milk into her cup of coffee. “Have I ever told you how much I wanted a child? But God never blessed us, so I focused on being the best pastor’s wife I could be.”
Was it my imagination or was this leading somewhere?
“I could talk to Simon. If he were willing, maybe we could take her in.”
“She’s a sweet little thing, but she’s been through a lot,” I said.
“Her own father hunting her. I’d say so,” she said.
“Talk to Simon. For now, we’ll keep her with us.”
We said our goodbyes and I walked over to the school. I looked through the window, gathering myself. Anna was applying salve to Quinn’s bruised neck. The children were all at their desks licking candy canes Anna must have brought from her store.
Surges of powerful anger and also fear overwhelmed me. I’d almost lost her. What the children and I would do without her seemed impossible to muster. I shook off the
feelings. She was fine. The children were fine. Christmas was coming, and I had a surprise for my bride.
Chapter 31
Quinn
At home, I sat with Louisa on the window seat of the spare bedroom as she sobbed into my lap. I smoothed her hair from her damp cheeks and let her cry. When she stopped, she sat up and looked me straight in the eye. “What’s going to happen to me now?”
“You’ll stay with us until we can find a new home for you.”
“Who will want me?”
“Don’t worry. All will be well.” I said it but was unsure myself. The only people who would want her would take her in only in exchange for working on their farm or business. I wanted more for her. A warm, loving home with parents who cared for her.
“Did they shoot him dead?” she asked. “Tell me exactly.”
“He tried to run away, and the sheriff shot him.”
“Did he really kill Noah’s dad?”
“Do you remember that night he was chasing you and you heard the bullets?” I asked.
“Yes.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“He killed him. We’re not sure why.”
“Because he saw Pa chasing me, wasn’t it? Pa didn’t want anyone to know what he did to me.”
“I believe that’s right.”
“Does it mean I’m a bad person?” she asked. “Because Pa was bad?”
“No, you’re not a bad person. You’re a little girl who has had to overcome a lot just to survive. You’ll never have to be chased or go hungry again.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Lord Barnes and I are going to make sure and find you a nice family. We’re always going to look after you.”
She put her head back in my lap and wept fresh tears until she finally fell asleep.
Chapter 32
Alexander
I knocked on Rachel’s front door late that afternoon. Would knowing what happened to Samuel give her some peace? I couldn’t be certain. I knew only how much I dreaded telling her.
Rachel opened the door herself and stepped outside, squinting in the sunlight. “The kids are all sick. I don’t want to expose you.” She buttoned her coat.
“Theo too,” I said.
“Is he all right? I can see on your face that something’s happened.”
“He’s fine. In fact, Quinn sent this over with me.” I reached inside my jacket for the herbal concoction Mrs. Wu had made. “Put a teaspoon of this in tea and have them drink it all. I can’t swear to it, but I think it saved my boy.”
She eyed it suspiciously but put it in her coat pocket.
“We know who killed Samuel,” I said.
She drew in a long breath. “Tell me.”
As much as I hated to tell the foul story, I relayed everything I knew, ending with Kellam’s death. “He tried to run, and Lancaster killed him. Finally that idiot did the right thing.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked out toward the woodshed. “It wasn’t about me or the kids, after all. He was killed because he happened to be there just at the moment Kellam came through chasing his poor child. I’ve no doubt that he would have tried to stop him. He did try to stop him.”
“He died trying to protect an innocent child,” I said. “Which makes him a hero.”
“He was always my hero,” she said. “I miss him every moment of the day.”
“I know.”
Rachel shuddered. “That poor girl. What will happen to her?”
“We’re trying to find a family for her. If not, we’ll keep her.”
“You can’t be an orphanage, Barnes,” she said, smiling. “First the Wus and now a little orphan.”
“I will be an orphanage if I have to be.”
“You and Samuel had a lot in common,” she said. “Both a couple of fools.”
“Will you be all right?”
“Eventually,” she said. “Not yet, but someday.”
Just before supper, Jasper announced the arrival of Simon and Pamela Lind. I asked him to bring them into the library where Quinn and I had been chatting about the Linds’ interest in adopting Louisa. Quinn was overjoyed by the idea, as I knew she would be.
I invited them to sit on the couch. Jasper promised to return with tea as Quinn and I sat across from them.
Simon and Pamela held hands and exchanged a nervous glance before Pamela blurted out their intention.
“We’ve talked,” Pamela said. “And we’d like to meet Louisa.”
“If she likes us, we thought we could take her home,” Simon said.
“She’s a very sad, damaged little girl,” Quinn said. “She thinks of herself as an animal, only worthy of shelter and food if she provides something in return. Convincing her otherwise may take time.”
“She’ll be slow to trust,” I said. “Especially you, Simon.”
“We understand.” Pamela looked into her lap. “My mother died when I was young. I was raised by a stepfather who hurt me.”
Simon handed her his handkerchief, and she dabbed at her eyes. “He’s the reason I could not have children.”
“Pamela, no,” Quinn said.
“Yes. When I ran away at sixteen, I was blessed to find Simon. His devotion and love changed me. He taught me to live and breathe and love. Otherwise, I don’t know what would have become of me.” Pamela looked up at Quinn. “There’s no one better than Simon and me to take her. I know the particulars of what it’s like to be raised by an evil man. And Simon knows how much patience and fortitude it takes to love a girl after years of torment.”
“We’ve prayed and the answer seems clear,” Simon said. “We’re meant to take her.”
“Would you like me to get her now?” Quinn asked.
“Why not?” Simon said. “No time like the present.”
Quinn scampered out of the room promising to return with Louisa.
“We have a room for her,” Pamela said. “And I can sew her a few new dresses.”
“We’ll pack up some of Josephine’s old things in the meantime,” I said.
A few minutes later, Quinn came in with Louisa, guiding her over to sit between us as she introduced her to the Linds. “This is Louisa.”
Quinn had her dressed in one of Josephine’s old dresses. The light blue color highlighted the child’s pretty eyes and fair hair, which Josephine had plaited into a braid that hung down her scrawny back. “This is Mr. and Mrs. Lind.”
“Hello, Louisa. It’s nice to meet you,” Pamela said.
Louisa gave them a shy smile. “I seen you at church a few times.”
“You were at church?” Simon asked.
“I looked through the windows. Pa said church was for weak people.”
Simon nodded gravely, but a twinkle in his eyes hinted at his amusement. “I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree.”
“Would you like to attend church?” Pamela asked.
“My friends from school go there, so yes,” Louisa said.
“That’s a good enough reason,” Simon said, laughing.
Louisa’s gaze darted to Quinn. She’d obviously sensed she’d said something wrong but didn’t know what. Quinn gave her an encouraging nod.
“Louisa’s one of my best students,” Quinn said. “She loves to read.”
“Miss Cooper taught me. Now I can go on adventures whenever I want.”
“Isn’t that the very best thing about books?” Simon asked. “I have wanderlust myself, so books take me to places I’ll never be able to go.”
A light of recognition went off in Louisa’s eyes. “When Pa was real bad, I’d wait for him to fall asleep and then I’d read and forget all about my real life.”
“We’d like to give you a new home,” Pamela said. “One where you didn’t have to be afraid.”
“One where you could have a few adventures of your own,” Simon said. “Would you like to come live with us?”
“I can cook for you and keep house.” Louisa’s hopeful tone and earnest face were enough to brea
k a man’s heart. “And take care of the garden.”
Pamela and Simon were silent for a moment as they looked to Quinn for help.
“Louisa, as a member of a family, you would have chores, as all children do. But it won’t be like with your pa. Pastor Lind and Pamela want you to be their child, which means you’re taken care of, not the other way around.”
“Pa said I had to earn my keep or he’d kick me out to get eaten by a bear.” Louisa’s bottom lip trembled. “What do I do at your house so I don’t get eaten by a bear?”
Pamela held out her hand. “Come here, Louisa.”
Louisa once again looked up at Quinn for reassurance. “It’s all right,” Quinn said.
The child crossed over to sit next to Pamela, who put her hand on top of Louisa’s head. “I’m going to promise you something, Louisa. If you’re our child, we won’t hurt you, and we’ll do our very best to protect you from harm.”
“But what will I need to do?” Louisa asked in a panicked, high-pitched voice. Her shoulders had lifted to her ears, and her gaze went from one of them to the other and back again.
“What specifically would you like Louisa to do?” Quinn asked.
Simon cleared his throat. “We expect you to be respectful and kind to us and anyone who visits. You’ll help Pamela by sweeping the floors and setting the table for meals.”
“Make your bed each morning. And help do dishes after supper,” Pamela said. “In the summer, you’ll help me in the garden.”
“Attend church, of course,” Simon said. “Keep up with your studies at school.”
“Keep your hair and clothes tidy,” Pamela said.
Louisa’s shoulders softened. “Is that all?”
“Yes, Louisa,” Pamela said. “That is all.”
“I love to work in the garden,” Louisa said under her breath.
“Do you really?” Pamela asked. “Because it’s my favorite pastime. I grow tomatoes, beans, squash, and cucumbers to make pickles.”
“What about potatoes and turnips?” Louisa asked.
“No turnips,” Simon said. “I dislike them immensely.”
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